Ib, a thirteen-year-old girl living in central London, has spent the last year visiting a particular café- the one with the beautiful garnet awning and the heavy glass door. There's a man working there who's caught her eye. What continues to draw her back to him? A relationship filled with twists and turns begins to form, the two learning from each other and growing together. AU.

AN; This is my first fic in nearly a full year. Though, I have gotten some practice in from months of constant roleplaying and writing drabbles and the like! After my Shizaya obsession kind of fell through the floor, I didn't really know what to write about so I just stopped altogether. But now I have some inspiration for a few new pairings, as you can see! uwu''

I originally didn't intend to make this an AU, but after considering ways to work Mary's character into the story and finding nothing, I decided to start the story from scratch. And I've seen way too many fics covering the lost memories of Guertena's gallery returning and blah blah blah all that stuff. I haven't seen many AUs for Ib so I decided to give this a try. The story takes place in London, and the title, Qui Vivra Verra, means 'time will tell' in french, (literally: 'one who lives will see'). Things might seem a bit confusing at first, but everything is eventually explained.

One thing I want to touch on is the fandom's debating over Ib's real name. In this story, her name is Isabella, but she introduces herself as Ib. Personally, I prefer Eve, (I love that name... It's really beautiful), but because it pertains to the story, in this fic her name is Isabella. Her mother and teachers are the only people that call her by this name, however. If you'd like to imagine it differently, please feel free! And pronounce it however you like. Sorry if this disappoints anyone orz.

Aaaand one more thing. Ib is thirteen at the start of the story, but will age as it continues. By the end of the fic I'm thinking she will probably be fifteen. I mentioned above that the rating may rise. That would be for sexual content, yep. I haven't decided if I want to take that path or not at this point, but if I do choose to lead the story in that direction, I will let readers know in advance and will raise the rating. She's underage, I know that, but really, love knows no boundaries. It's not gonna be that explicit if it happens though, pff. Don't get too excited, hohoho.

Well, I really hope you enjoy the story! I'm working very hard on it. I'd also like to say that I am looking for beta-readers and if you are interested, please send me a message! As I already stated, this is my first fic in a very long time so I hope it meets everyone's expectations. I pretty much ADORE hearing from my readers, so if you have anything to say at all I would love love love to hear it! ; v ; Constructive criticism is encouraged and welcome, as well as anything else you'd like to share. Feel free to ask questions too, (pertaining or not pertaining to the plot), and I'll do my best to answer them!

Thank you for taking the time to read the author's note. Please enjoy.

I

It wasn't as though she thought herself to be wrong. After all, the woman's argument was weak. She knew that if she'd taken the liberty of asking any number of strangers, none would have seen any problem with her taking the train out of the city to visit her best friend for a single weekend. Already an entire year had passed since the only person to whom she'd ever become close enough to consider a sister took off for the countryside with her family. London was too crowded. That's what her friend had passed on to her: apparently a good reason to leave, though it didn't seem to make much sense at all. She'd never realized that anyone would actually find such a busy city displeasing.

An adjustable girl, she got along well in most any situation. Her mother and father had switched from apartments to houses more times than she could count, and she'd always done fine settling into new communities. But with someone so close to her taking their leave, it felt as though her dear friend had stolen an important piece of her away when she departed. It had been difficult to attend school only to find an empty desk to her left side for days on end until it was flat out removed from the classroom.

A light sigh passed her lips. Why was it that, despite her mother being very much in the wrong, she still felt the heavy burden of guilt weighing down her chest?

Mum knows best...

But wasn't that unfair? She couldn't possibly comprehend why she'd been forbidden from visiting someone whom her mother knew she treasured so much.

Pulling herself away from her mind's many concerns, the young girl focused in on her location. Her home wasn't far; she'd only traveled a few blocks, but even as the urge to turn right around, run into her mother's arms and spew one apology after another grew stronger, she did all she could to move her legs forward instead. It wasn't fair at all, what her mother had said. This time, running back for forgiveness was not an option.

- x -

Some people regarded the idea of a thirteen-year-old wandering the city streets on her own with distaste, and in other cases, apparent worry. 'What kind of horrible parents leave a child unsupervised in such a dangerous place? Fools. Stupid parents, stupid kid. We should inform the police.' To her, it seemed ridiculous. Those strangers didn't actually care, so why would they bother voicing their opinion? It was as if everyone was searching for a chance to be righteous, to serve some sort of justice. For the sake of making themselves feel good, they would thoughtlessly call others out on what they saw to be 'mistakes'. They hadn't any right to decide who could wander the city and who could not. Sometimes, she found herself worrying that horrid quirks like that were simply one of many curses of adulthood, leaving all children doomed to fall into a future filled with monotone voices, chilly expressions and false concern; a world in black and white with all shades in between forgotten and erased.

Though, it had to be a choice, didn't it? Her father always used to remind her that life was like a game; make the correct choices and you advance to the next level. She quite liked that metaphor, even though she'd always been forbidden from playing those electronic games he'd probably been referencing. With that, reminding herself that her life was in her own hands was reassuring. If given the decision to become a boring adult versus an exciting one, she would simply pick the latter.

Standing up from a neon-blue plastic bench as the tram finally came to a gradual stop opposite her, she regarded the flood of passengers escaping through automatic doors with subtle interest, watching for those with piercings in strange places or colorful spiked hair. Those who were so obviously different from the rest of the crowd were both frightening and intriguing, as well as the most fun to observe. But this time, not one man, woman or child caught her attention as she shuffled herself onto the wired vehicle, carefully swiping her card in the machine before taking her seat at the side of a stern-looking business man. Her destination was only a five minute's walk from her school- a café which she often visited in the company of friends prior to each of them rushing off in hopes of making it home on time to avoid a harsh scolding. Of course, she'd come alone in times of distress; when her guinea pig passed away three months ago, when she'd been bullied or teased, and of course when her very best friend moved away, which was right around the time she'd first come across it. It would appear as though the little coffee shop was a place to relax and think about each problem with a clearing mind, but it was quite the opposite for her. A conveniently located distraction, at least during the school year as it was now summer break and her middle school was quite a distance from her home, but the biggest reason for her attachment to the place was not because of its comforting inner décor, nor its delicious treats or friendly staff. It was that man who often worked behind the counter, happily taking the orders of customers and passing them their chosen pastries with the utmost care. His smile always glowed. He was very different from the other adults she'd seen before.

She came here to watch him. It sounded strange, but there really wasn't much else to it. He was interesting and she was intrigued. Even when she first pushed open that heavy glass door and wandered through the room in search of an empty table, her eyes had caught his as though drawn to them like a magnet. Something about him was so very unique, but she could never quite place what it was that refused to allow her curious gaze any rest.

Tall, skinny, and well-suited for the uniform he wore, nothing stood out strongly at first besides his hair. Dyed, definitely- but such a strange look. She'd seen hair of practically every colour on the spectrum except for his: a pale, pale violet with a few darker streaks to create a contrast that seemed far too fitting considering how unusual and unnatural they appeared.

Once in a while, their eyes would meet and he would smile that same brightening smile he had on display for what seemed to be the majority of his work shift. Did his face not tire out after such a strenuous grinning session day in and day out? Was he really all that pleased with himself or was he some kind of magnificent actor simply playing his role behind a flawlessly constructed mask? There wasn't another way to find out than to put the effort forward and ask, but she had no intention of doing such a thing. It was better to leave some things a mystery, after all, and of all mysterious people she'd come across before, this man had been appropriately seated on the throne.

His name tag read 'Garry'. She'd only managed to figure this out recently, as he one day surprised her by visiting her table when she'd stopped by with a few classmates.

"Hi there." That genial smile never faded as he spoke. "What will you young ladies be ordering today?"

Her friends were quite satisfied with the man's politesse, one even trying to impress him with a sudden air of apparent maturity; sitting herself up straight, tucking a napkin into her blouse, and using a bizarre and sophisticated vocabulary that she probably wasn't nearly as confident in as she seemed.

The questions they asked him were returned with evasive answers before he'd hurry off to another table, always at the most convenient of times. His blue eyes glistening as he passed beneath the cheap-looking chandelier overhead, casting his gaze upward for only a moment before returning his attention to the other customers. He stared at it often, actually, leading the girl to believe that perhaps it held some kind of sentimental value to him or quite possibly, was far more special than it looked.

But she didn't know for sure. And she'd probably never find out. Her mother had reminded her time and time again not to talk to strangers, after all, though something within her had already decided to keep things as they were regardless of the rules she was meant to live by.

- x -

Shaking herself from a dazed state, the girl rose from her place following a light shoulder prodding from the man at her side. "Excuse me," he mumbled, as he stood up to go past her with a low sigh and then went down the tram steps. She was quite lucky to have chosen such a seat, as her stop was the very next one and chances were unlikely that someone would have woken her for any other reason.

Again, the vehicle came to a halt and passengers began to make their way forward, following one another in a sort of disorganized queue. Her feet were the first to hit pavement, and she was possibly on her way quicker than any other tram-rider. A wave of excitement washed over her at the thought of visiting that man again. Garry. As the café came into sight, she found herself pondering the oddness of that name. A strange spelling, wasn't it? Perhaps they'd made an error when they printed his name tag.

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